On the heels of its welcome registration for early post-emergent (EPE) application in barley to control grass and broadleaf weeds, latest trials in this use pattern with the recently released Mateno Complete herbicide have further reinforced its performance over several years of development.
The EPE use pattern in barley adds to the existing registrations for Mateno Complete, including incorporated by sowing (IBS) in barley and wheat and the wheat EPE registration (not durum wheat), while a host of new weed control claims also have been added to the label in both crops.
Gus MacLennan, Bayer market development agronomist in NSW, said Mateno Complete has already been praised for its weed control effectiveness this season in its first year of application by growers.
Mateno Complete either IBS or EPE provided superior annual ryegrass control in barley.
He said this was thanks to its introduction of a new herbicide mode of action to the Australian industry, aclonifen (Group 32) in a unique and complementary co-formulation with pyroxasulfone (Group 15) and diflufenican (Group 12) herbicides.
The EPE use pattern in barley was again investigated in multiple trials across the country this season to evaluate both its weed control effectiveness and crop safety.
Replicated trials where annual ryegrass was dominant at the sites included EPE application with Mateno Complete at 750 mL/ha following IBS application of trifluralin at 2 L/ha.
This treatment was compared alongside IBS-only applications of trifluralin at 2 L/ha, Boxer Gold at 2.5 L/ha in a tank mix with Callisto at 200 mL/ha, Overwatch at 1.25 L/ha and Mateno Complete at 750 mL/ha.
Average annual ryegrass control in the IBS-only applications was highest with Mateno Complete at more than 70%, rising from below 50% with trifluralin, however the EPE application of Mateno Complete following IBS application of trifluralin increased the control to about 80%, with several sites achieving near 100% effectiveness.
Mr McLennan said it’s been a similar story in previous years of development trials, where EPE application of Mateno Complete at 750 mL/ha following IBS application of an effective ryegrass herbicide has enhanced control of registered grass weeds up to near 90–100%, and major broadleaf weeds up to 85–100%.
EPE applications of Mateno Complete in tank mixes with MCPA and bromoxynil herbicides also proved highly effective.
Crop effects from EPE applications of Mateno Complete at 750 mL/ha alone and following applications of trifluralin at 2 L/ha were again assessed across 10 replicated trials this season and were also compared with effects from the same IBS applications used in the grass weed control trials.
Using a peak biomass reduction rating from 0 to 100, the average rating for the EPE application of Mateno Complete alone was less than five, and just over five when following the trifluralin application. This was comparable with the IBS applications of trifluralin, Boxer Gold with Callisto and Mateno Complete, whereas the average rating with Overwatch was just under 20.
Mateno Complete EPE had very low crop effect in barley in 2022 replicated trials.
Mr McLennan said the trials this season and over previous years had clearly shown that compared with other standard applications, the EPE application of Mateno Complete following an effective IBS treatment with alternate herbicide delivered superior weed control levels.
“The weed control from EPE applications of Mateno Complete in barley has been consistently better due to the control of in-furrow weeds and the residual control it offers of both grass and broadleaf weeds. That’s what sets it apart from all other herbicides,’’ Mr McLennan said.
“With Mateno Complete EPE, you get coverage across the furrow, which results in fewer weed escapes.
“Boxer Gold and Callisto is a combination with a similar grass and broadleaf weed control spectrum, but it can still miss the weeds in the furrow, which is inherent with most IBS-applied herbicides.’’
He said the EPE application of Mateno Complete in barley was highly effective across a wide weed spectrum, with particular strength on capeweed, annual ryegrass and toad rush.
On crop safety, Mr McLennan said the company had taken significant time and care with the registration of Mateno Complete for EPE application in barley to ensure crop health and, in turn, grain yields were not compromised.
“We completed work with Mateno Complete applied EPE by itself and following IBS herbicide applications and with the vast majority of products and it showed that it is fine to go with an IBS application and then to follow it with Mateno Complete.’’
In South Australia, Bayer market development agronomist Tim Murphy said the EPE application of Mateno Complete in state-wide barley trials was demonstrating better long-term control of the majority of broadleaf and grass weeds than all other available applications.
“When compared with traditional applications like Boxer Gold applied post-sowing pre-emergent, Mateno Complete applied EPE is out-performing with longer control of a wider range of weed species,’’ Mr Murphy said.
“We recently assessed a number of trials between 180– 200 days since the herbicide applications were made and there are pretty well no weed panicles in the Mateno Complete-treated plots.’’
He said application of an effective IBS herbicide such as trifluralin followed by the EPE application of Mateno Complete provided excellent length of annual ryegrass control in barley.
The 750 mL/ha rate has shown strong activity on broadleaf weeds, highlighted in this year’s trials by its effectiveness on weeds such as capeweed.
The SA trials also evaluated crop effects from the high rainfall areas of the mid north to the cooler, slower growing conditions in the south east and over to the Eyre Peninsula region.
“From the trials this season and last season, we noticed that Mateno Complete applied EPE in barley resulted in a level of crop effect over a number of varieties, but even under the slower growing conditions in 2021 with some transient bleaching, the crops recovered strongly; they were clean, with no weed competition, and they yielded equal to or above all other trial treatments,’’ Mr Murphy said.
Bayer market development agronomist Matt Willis (WA North) said trials through the region also showed that following an effective IBS herbicide such as prosulfocarb, triallate or trifluralin, the 750 mL/ha rate of Mateno Complete applied EPE provided grass weed control that was equivalent or better than current industry standards.
In terms of crop safety, Mr Willis said the IBS application of an effective alternate herbicide followed by Mateno Complete applied EPE can result in minor transient crop effects, however the trials showed no significant damage.
“We saw nothing commercially unacceptable in the trials and there was no yield limiting damage, but growers should adhere to the label instructions with regard to crop safety and follow the usage instructions to ensure a good outcome,’’ he said.
The new EPE registration for Mateno Complete in barley includes control of annual ryegrass (following an effective pre-sowing herbicide), silver grass, toad rush, Indian hedge mustard, prickly lettuce, mouse-ear chickweed and stonecrop, and suppression of volunteer canola, lesser loosestrife and wireweed.
The new label registrations for the IBS use pattern include control of stonecrop as well as suppression of Indian hedge mustard, denseflower fumitory and deadnettle in wheat – as well as suppression of Indian hedge mustard and stonecrop in barley.
The registration for EPE application in wheat has been extended to include Indian hedge mustard, volunteer canola, deadnettle, denseflower fumitory, mouse-ear chickweed, stonecrop, lesser loosestrife, wireweed and common sowthistle.
